


Look to the stars and see my fears

by SolarSystem



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Angst, Family Feels, Gladstone Gander-centric, Hurt/Comfort, In this house we love and cherish gladstone, Magic, Not Really Character Death, Possible Romance?, Updating tags, also check out modmads duck comics on tumblr they rock, also to reiterate character death is not permanent!!!!!, it's not THAT kind of fic, maybe not maybe yes, theres gonna be a future pun thats really stupid but i love it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:48:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26081449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolarSystem/pseuds/SolarSystem
Summary: On his birthday, Gladstone sees the ocean blue and sets the world in motion. Unbeknownst to him and his family, something is happening deep, deep beneath the ground."The sun was just below the horizon, painting the sky in soft hues of blues and violet, a few stars were starting to peek through through the inky night sky. Gladstone heard the tell-tale click of someone picking up the phone."
Relationships: Della Duck & Donald Duck & Gladstone Gander & Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck & Gladstone Gander, Gladstone Gander & Duck Family, Gladstone Gander & Everyone, Gladstone Gander & Scrooge McDuck
Comments: 13
Kudos: 47





	1. Eyes blue, like the atlantis

“Congratulations, sir! You’re the hundredth customer at Blight’s Ice Cream shop! A smile with every bite!™ No need to pay for your purchase!”

Gladstone took the offered ice cream cone (there were at least 5 stacked flavors balancing on the thin waffle) from the grinning dog at the stand and walked away with his other hand stuffed in his pockets. He began to whistle as he strolled down the street, mindlessly handing the treat to an ecstatic toddler.

By now, the goose had lost count how many free prizes or lotteries he won. It seemed like he was extra lucky today. Maybe Lady Fortuna was making up for all the unluckiness for his past birthdays- or his luck only seemed especially good since he was used to being unfortunate on this day. 

“Congratulations, sir! You won a free plane, and the newest model at that!” A salesperson yelled, walking quickly towards Gladstone, “It’s sleek and quick as lightning- a bit used but in great shape. It just got a new paint job too, blue and gold. Where do you want to ship it to?”

_ A plane, huh?  _ Gladstone thought.  _ Della likes planes. She’d like that.  _ “Send it here.” He instructed, scribbling down the address to Scrooge’s mansion on the form provided. Along with all the signatures that were needed, Gladstone wrote a short note for his cousin to find and gave it to the salesperson. After that, he was left to continue his walk. 

While passing by various shops, Gladstone noticed a peculiar stand set up on the side of the road. It was an old woman seated at a table rummaging through a small bag in her hand. Perched on the corner was a sign that read: “Rune readings”. Intrigued, Gladstone ventured closer.

Noticing the approaching figure, the old woman smiled and gestured for her customer to have a seat across her. As Gladstone sat down, she peered through her glasses with raised eyebrows.

“I can see you are one lucky person,” She remarked.

Gladstone chuckled lightly, pleased his luck had guided him to an actual fortune teller instead of a scammer. “You can say that.”

“Now let’s see what the stones have to say for you…” She muttered to herself, mixing up the pouch’s contents. Finally, she laid the first rune in front of Gladstone and moved closer to inspect the markings. 

“This is Hagalaz,” The woman tapped the stone with her nail, adjusting her glasses with a slight perturbed expression. “The Hailstone. It signifies a great change upon the horizon, often a catastrophic one with lasting effects. Though it may be a change for the greater good, destruction for the sake of creation.”

That sounded like an awful amount of work, not to mention that ‘destruction’ sounded downright terrifying. Gladstone tried not to let his inner thoughts show and beckoned for the woman to continue with a strained smile.

She reached into her bag and drew the next rune. It was placed beside the first one with a  _ tap _ . 

“Hmm…” Her troubled look deepened upon gazing at the glyph. “Thurisaz, The Giant. It tells of strife and impending danger. You will be at peril as a consequence of the major change coming your way.” 

There was no way this fortune could be accurate, Gladstone thought, baffled. After all, his luck would never let anything harm him  _ (But it never protected him from punches and kicks, did it?). _

“And the final rune,” The old woman murmured, her expression turning thoughtful, “Is Inguz, of the God Ing. This rune symbolizes fertility and new beginnings. A new chapter. I do believe that there is something in store for you that may change the world.” 

She looked into his eyes and Gladstone felt the entire world freeze for a moment. The bustling noises of the city deafened as she stared, seemingly looking into his soul. 

“I wish you luck, stranger, for whatever is in store for you. It will not be easy.”

All Gladstone could do was nod weakly as she smiled and the world unfroze. He paid her twice the request amount and threw in a winning lottery ticket while he was at it.

Her fortune was bull- she  _ was _ a scammer after all. The unluckiness on his birthdays stopped ever since he and Donald fixed that problem. Slightly shaken by her prophecy, the goose decided to head down to the docks. Maybe a gorgeous sunset would help him forget whatever had just happened.

As he grew closer to the ocean breeze, Gladstone realized that he never told his family that he was in Duckburg. He took out his cell phone once he reached the piers, first sending a heartfelt response (a spam of heart emojis) to Fethry’s multiple texts wishing him a happy birthday accompanied with a selfie of him and Mitzy, and tapped on Donald’s contact. He listened to the dial tone as the wood beneath him creaked, water ebbing against the rocks lining the coast.

The sun was just below the horizon, painting the sky in soft hues of blues and violet, a few stars were starting to peek through through the inky night sky. Gladstone heard the tell-tale  _ click  _ of someone picking up the phone.

_ “Hello?” _

Just as he opened his mouth to exclaim a greeting, the wooden planks groaned under his weight. The sound grew louder with the howling wind and suddenly an electrical shock shot down his spine. A thunderous crack echoed in his ears and Gladstone felt his heart leap into his throat as he was swallowed by the sea.

He plunged into the ocean, frigid in the warm August evening. Sharp splinters pierced through his feathers and the wounds prickled in the salt water. The force of the impact knocked the wind out of him and his chest burned despite the cold paralyzing every inch of his body. The goose’s survival instinct kicked in, and he began struggling sluggishly in vain. The lack of oxygen was unbearable- salt stung his eyes like a million needles as he chokes on the seawater filling his lungs.

Dizziness clouded his mind and a strange numbness washed over him as he sunk deeper into the ocean blue. Black spots danced across his vision as the surface grew farther and farther away. In the fleeting moments before his consciousness was whisked away, Gladstone felt warm- as if sitting under the sun. He felt a gentle hand cradle his face, two familiar faces smiling above him.


	2. And I'm going down, like the titanic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Duck Family become aware something is going on, but they may be messing with affairs beyond what they can handle.
> 
> "Donald felt a strange surge of protectiveness he hadn’t felt since they were all kids (He was roiling with fury, balled fists shaking at the sight of a black eye on his cousin) and panic began to flutter in his stomach as he hastily punched in the numbers again."

The television bathed the dark room with flashing lights as Darkwing Duck took down his nefarious foes (Launchpad and Beakley cheering at the screen each time he landed a solid hit). Donald nervously eyed the stack of children on the edge of the sofa and prayed that none of them would fall off and break their skull.

Just as Darkwing Duck was about to have a final showdown with the season’s villain, Donald's phone began ringing loudly; the racket drowned out whatever the hero was saying on the TV. Everyone in the room shot dirty looks at the duck, who shrunk sheepishly under their glares.

“Uh, don’t you know you’re supposed to silence your phone during a movie?” Dewey whispered.

“Yeah,  _ Donnie. _ ” Della added.

Donald muttered ‘ _ yeah, yeah’  _ to himself as he slinked outside of the room with his phone in hand. It was Gladstone- of course. Today was his birthday after all. A part of him felt guilty for missing out on his cousin’s special day, but the other spiteful part told him the goose was probably too busy swimming in cash to care. He jabbed his finger to the answer button and brought it to his ear. 

“Hello?” He grumbled annoyedly. Expecting an onslaught of mindless chatter and bragging, all Donald heard was a loud  _ crack  _ and muffled audio as if the speakers were underwater. Then the call ended abruptly with a click and the duck walked back in, scratching his head. 

Webby looked away from the rolling credits with a tilt of her head. “Who was that?”

“Gladstone.” Donald replied with a shrug. “But he hung up right away.”

Della’s face scrunched up in confusion. “But that doesn’t sound like him.” All Donald could do was shrug again. The group’s attention resumed to the television, where Launchpad was inserting a recording of his and Beakley’s continuation of the show.

A few minutes in, Della suddenly gasped. 

“Oh. My. Gosh- It was his birthday today! I totally forgot!”

“I didn't.” Donald mumbled to himself.

“Maybe that’s why he called.” Huey said thoughtfully.

Louie rolled his eyes from on top of the pile. “Why would he call to brag about his birthday and then hang up?”

Dewey erupted in a fit of giggles, threatening to topple over the tower of children. “Maybe it- it was a butt dial!” 

“Call him again, Don!” Della shouted, jumping out of her seat. “I don’t wanna miss his birthday!”

Donald groaned and complained under his breath, but reluctantly dialed Gladstone’s number, putting the phone on speaker. The room waited in anticipation as the dial tone droned on. 

_ Click. _

_ “You’ve reached the house of the lucky gander! If this is about a free prize or a lottery winning, just send it over to the Sunny Orphanage. If you’re looking for the one and only Gladstone Gander then with some luck, you might find me.”  _

_ Click. _

The only sound in the room were the voices coming from the TV. Confusion and unease grew in the silence. Donald felt a strange surge of protectiveness he hadn’t felt since they were all kids  _ (He was roiling with fury, balled fists shaking at the sight of a black eye on his cousin)  _ and panic began to flutter in his stomach as he hastily punched in the numbers again.

Again, the same buzzing noise filled the room. 

_ Click. _

_ “You’ve reached the house of the lucky gander! If this is about a free prize or a lottery winning, just se-” _

Donald ended the voice message, his shaking hands hovering over Gladstone’s number a third time. This was just a mistake. The heavy dread in his chest was a mistake. There was no way this was the same feeling he felt before every tragedy- _the argument before Della stole the Spear of Selene, before he stood in front of Scrooge’s office after his sister’s disappearance, every bill he couldn’t afford to pay_ _-_ Gladstone was just off cashing in another grand prize, so distracted by his winning he wasn’t answering his phone. Because nothing bad ever happened to the lucky goose- _Meeting Toad Liu Hai and getting trapped in while a luck vampire stole what was essentially his life force for months, every bruise and scrape he got from bullies, the gnawing loneliness he admitted to feeling in a moment of weakness_ \- This was all just a big mistake-

“Donald.” A gentle hand touched his cheek before settling on his shoulder. The duck snapped out of his thoughts, and realized how hard he was gripping his cellphone. The others watched him with uncertainty and concern.

“Sorry,” He said, slowly breathing out, “Sorry. I’m just…I don’t want another…”

“He’ll be fine, Uncle Donald,” Louie said quietly, and Donald remembered just how much the duckling admired his cousin despite their last encounter, “He’s Gladstone Gander. He’ll be fine.”

“But something is still off. I can  _ feel  _ it.” Webby whispered conspiratorially, squinting her eyes. 

“You’re right, Webby,” Della said with a determined tone in her voice. “Hey, Uncle Scrooge!” Straightening her back, she kicked her foot into the armchair Scrooge had fallen asleep in during the Darkwing Duck marathon. 

“Hu- Wha-?” 

“Something’s happened to your nephew, Mr. McDuck.’ Beakley said. 

Scrooge furrowed his brow and fixed his glasses. “Who? Fethry?”

Huey shook his head. “No, it’s Cousin Gladstone. He’s not answering any calls and we’ve got a bad feeling about it.”

“Nonsense, it’s Gladstone! He can fall into a 50 feet hole and be perfectly fine.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Mr. McD,” Launchpad tapped his finger on his chin, “What if it’s like some kind of super hole? Like a  _ 52  _ feet hole. With tarantulas. And a beehive. And a grizzly bear eating that beehive.”

Louie nodded along, “Yeah, and he’s stuck there with no way of getting help! That’s why we need to find him.” 

Scrooge sighed as Launchpad shook his head sadly, saying ‘poor fella’ while Dewey patted his back. 

But the richest duck in the world remained stubbornly unswayed. "Bah! Then with his luck, he wouldn't end up in the hole in the first place! I don't know what has got all your kilts in a twist, he's probably busy cashing into lottery tickets."

Donald began to fume, the others looking warily at his reddening face. Then, he exhaled slowly, his anger dissipating like a puff of smoke. He looked into his uncle with a determination the older duck seen only when his family was in danger.

"Fine. Then I'll make a bet." His voice was hardened with a startling resolve. "If Gladstone doesn't pick up the phone and tell us he's alright, then I'll go to his apartment in Duckburg and destroy  _ everything. _ "

Launchpad released a low whistle. "Wow. Super hardcore."

"Oh, oh, and with Gladstone's fortune and Donald's, er, not so good fortune- then both their lucks have to kick in and force Gladstone to pick up!" Webby exclaimed, a lightbulb going off her head.

Everyone held their breath as the sailor dialed the number for the final time.

_ Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep… Beep… Beep…  _

_ … _

_ Click. _

_ “You’ve reached the house of the lucky gander! If this is about a free prize or a lottery winning, just send it over to the Sunny Orphanage. If you’re looking for the one and only Gladstone Gander then with some luck, you might find me.”  _

_ Click. _

". . ."

"Something's wrong, Uncle Scrooge." Donald said without looking up. 

Scrooge's brow furrowed and he fixed his glasses. Gladstone was a lucky, lackadaisical layabout who had everything handed to him on a gold platter. If something managed to put him out of commission then…this new problem was more worrying than he thought.

"I'll ask Gyro to check security cameras for any sign of him. This has to be a giant misunderstanding, " Scrooge finally said, nodding before leaving the room for the underwater lab. Right before he turned around the corner, he mumbled to himself, "For his and our sake."

The rest watched the duck exit the room, and looked at each for a few moments.

“Say, we missed a lot of Darkwing Duck 2.0” Launchpad gestured toward the TV screen. “Let’s go rewatch it!” After a chorus of agreements, everyone made their way back to their original seating, Donald still eyeing the potential jenga game of children with some distress.

He tried to focus on the show, but before he could settle in, Dewey chimed up from the pile on the sofa.

"Hey, Uncle Donald, aren't you supposed to go wreck Gladstone's apartment now?"

"...ah phooey."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double posting! Don't get used to it- I just wrote this chunk of text and decided to split it to two! Who know when I'll write the next part dhsbbsjds
> 
> If you enjoyed, leave a kudo and a comment 💖
> 
> (Also last chapter I said there were some reference but I think most of them are here lol)
> 
> Also the part about the Sunny orphanage is that I hc after Gladstone's parents died and before he was adopted by Elvira AKA Grandma Duck (or by Aunt Maltida depending which canon you follow) he was put in the Sunny Orphanage. In his short time there, he was treated well and supported during his grieving and since then he would send donations there.


	3. A comet soaring through air and space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladstone makes a smashing discovery. 
> 
> "'Keep looking, Gyro.' The duck simply said before walking out of the office. There was a bad feeling settling in his gut and he didn't like it one bit."

When he came to, his eyes still closed, Gladstone felt like he was between a state of being, like sailing in the midst of reality and a daydream- drifting in a pool of motionless water. 

After a moment, (or a millennium, time felt strange here)  his eyes fluttered open to billions of stars twinkling around him. ( _ Faintly, he knows that this can't be real as Della's words during one of her info dumps echoed on his mind. 'Stars only twinkle 'cause we see 'em through our atmosphere,' But her voice melted away just as it appeared.)  _

With a shaky hand, (why was he so cold?) Gladstone reached out towards a ball of light flying nearby. It gravitated closer as his hand approached, almost as if he was pulling it in. The small star was warm to the touch, circling around his fingers for a few seconds before swirling away. Honestly he should be more baffled about his situation but the goose couldn't bring himself to care. The sensation of floating quelled any questions or concerns in his mind.

Then, out of nowhere, a booming yet soft voice spoke:

"This is not your end."

Gladstone blinked at this, twisting his neck to seek out whoever was speaking. "Who…?" He started, his words sluggish. 

"You are destined for great things, a blooming light hides beneath layers of darkness under your skin."

The voice was still the same volume as before but somehow, Gladstone felt as if the speaker was right in front of him, cradling his face with a tender hand.

"It will not be easy, and for that I am sorry. I wish things were different." A gentle kiss was placed on his forehead, fleeting sparks of lightning dancing from their lips.

"This is not your end, star child," they repeated. "This is the beginning of another chapter."

The clusters of stars began to come closer, spiraling around his body until a blinding light shone under his white feathers. The light grew brighter and brighter until all he could see was white as an intense heat burned in his bones. Before Gladstone lost consciousness he could hear the speaker's final words:

_ "Umbras exstingue luce, meus filius astri." _

* * *

The second time Gladstone awoke, he could feel his feathers fluttering in the wind. Forcing his eyes open was an incredibly difficult task but upon doing so, he immediately regretted his decision.

Against all odds, Gladstone was plummeting down to Earth.

The air around him grew hotter by the second, a brilliant blaze engulfing his body. Despite the intense heat, he didn't feel any pain. Around him, the same stars he saw before darted past him as he rocketed towards the atmosphere. 

Shooting through puffs of clouds, the ground rapidly came into view and before Gladstone could brace himself, he crashed into the earth.

_ BOOM! _

A wave of dust erupted from the newly-formed crater, accompanied by a thunderous crack. Slowly, it dissipated and Gladstone stayed very still in the cavity he made, staring at the twinkling stars in the night sky.

He blinked and started to sit up, disoriented and feeling incredibly lost (a very foreign feeling). Realizing the apparent lack of any pain that should've existed in colliding with the earth, Gladstone looked over his body only to find that he was relatively unscathed. His jacket was gone, leaving only a tattered dress shirt, but he was entirely unhurt.

Not only that, it appeared that he had landed on a beach of all things. And the sand beneath him had turned completely into glass.

Before Gladstone could even scream out of utter confusion and hysteria, he heard two voices coming from beyond the beach.

"Now where did it go…?"

"It looks like it landed here, sister!"

Craning his neck, the goose spotted a duo approaching the crash-site. They were tall and had a regal air to them. Both were dressed in clothing he'd seen in a history reenactment program on tv. The two hastened their trek towards Gladstone the moment they saw him.

Up close, the birds were even more striking, and oddly familiar. Both looked incredibly worried and the one with the crown on her head reached her hand towards him.

Gladstone took the offered hand with a nod of thanks and started to get up. Just as he put pressure on his foot, a searing flare of pain shot up his leg and he stumbled onto his knees with a grunt. The two birds immediately moved to steady him. Looked like he wasn't as unharmed as he thought.

"That landing sure did a number on you," The swan said, gesturing for her companion to help Gladstone up. The stork did just so, scooping the injured bird into his arms. Together, they began leaving the beach.

"I am Selene, goddess of the moon. It's nice to meet you." She greeted him with a smile. Wait, Selene? Della raved to him once about a goddess of the same name in Ithaquack, showing him many pictures of said swan. 

"And I am-" 

"Storkules," Gladstone finished, breathless. "Della- della told me about you two." 

The siblings shared a look of surprise before turning back to the goose.

"You must be Gladstone. She showed us photos of you a long time ago. Funny how fate works." Selene said with a hint of astonishment in her voice.

"It's been so long since we've last seen her properly! We must throw a grand feast in her honor." Storkules exclaimed and for a second, Gladstone was worried he would fall off due to the stork's erratic movements. Then, he faltered. "Ah, but not… not now."

Sensing Gladstone's curiosity, Selene explained, "We'll tell you more once we reach the temple and tend to your wound. It's a bit of a story."

He nodded and closed his eyes. Lulled by the rhythmic rocking of Storkule's arms, Gladstone turned to the stars and allowed himself to give in to the weariness creeping into his bones.

* * *

Several monitors broadcasting surveillance feeds from all over Duckburg bathed the small room in blue light. Typing rapidly away at a keyboard was resident scientist, Gyro Gearloose. He mumbled to himself incoherently as Scrooge watched over his shoulder, tapping his finger impatiently.

Right before Scrooge could open his mouth to hurry the chicken, Gyro clicked his tongue audibly and whirled around his office chair to face his employer.

"I ran my facial recognition software through every security camera in Duckburg, sir. He's not in the city."

"Then, he wasn't in Duckburg to begin with. He must be off dilly-dallying somewhere else in the world."

Gyro shook his head and gestured to the screen. He pressed a button on the keyboard without looking and a recording of a security camera from a streetside store began playing.

It was of Gladstone, handing an ice cream cone to a small child, then promptly was stopped by a passing salesman who, with no doubt, was giving him a free prize. The goose walked further down the street after signing some papers before pausing at a table with an old lady, and then heading off to the direction of the beach.

"Well, then the lad must've left," Scrooge proclaimed, turning to leave, "Mystery solved."

Gyro cleared his throat and spun to face the screen once more, stopping the duck in his tracks. "That's just it- last he was seen, your nephew didn't  _ leave _ town. He just...vanished."

"Vanished? That's impossible!"

"He wasn't seen getting onto any public transportation, nor was he seen getting on any sort of transportation for that matter. Mr. Gander was last spotted when he went down to the piers. After that, nothing. There aren't any cameras at the docks, so no luck there."

Scrooge furrowed his brow and crossed his arms, grumbling to himself. It wasn't rare for Gladstone to travel, he was never one to stay in one place for long. But he was always a call away, and now he was essentially unreachable? 

"Keep looking, Gyro." The duck simply said before walking out of the office. There was a bad feeling settling in his gut and he didn't like it one bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!! Kudos and comments are very much appreciated ♡♡♡
> 
> Can't wait to use that stupid pun I thought of lolol- there's already a stupid pun in the chapter title 
> 
> Btw, any of yall have a good celestial themed name for an object? I was thinking maybe sm like to do w Aurora Borealis.
> 
> Also, the latin phrase, "Umbras exstingue luce, meus filius astri." Means "Put out the shadows with (your) light, my child of the stars". Finally putting those Latin classes to good use lol

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Hope you enjoyed this fic, kudos and comments are very, very much appreciated! 
> 
> There are a few "Easter eggs" I put in here, can you find them all? (I put them in quotations because I don't really know if they're Easter eggs or not lol, just fun little references) 
> 
> Also, there aren't enough Gladstone Centric fics and I must fix that!!!


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